Hosea 4

¹Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. ²There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood. ³Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. ⁴Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. ⁵And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother. ⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. ⁷As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. ⁸They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity. ⁹And it shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and will reward them their doings. ¹⁰And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. ¹¹Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding. ¹²My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. ¹³They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters commit whoredom, and your brides commit adultery. ¹⁴I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for they themselves go apart with whores, and they sacrifice with the harlots: and the people that doth not understand shall be overthrown. ¹⁵Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the LORD liveth. ¹⁶For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will the LORD feed them as a lamb in a large place. ¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. ¹⁸Their drink is become sour: they commit whoredom continually; her rulers dearly love shame. ¹⁹The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.